Student Ambassadors

Through the CRS Student Ambassador program, colleges and universities form on-campus chapters of student leaders who are trained by CRS to mobilize their peers and bring to life the mission of global solidarity on campus. Chapters are connected to one another and to CRS in order to build a national movement for social change.

How does the CRS Student Ambassador program work?

CRS Student Ambassador chapters engage the campus community to act on global emergencies and injustices. Ambassadors organize awareness campaigns, prayer services, candlelight vigils, faith-sharing groups, legislative advocacy, and fundraising campaigns for global emergencies as well as participate in CRS programs such as CRS Rice Bowl, CRS Fair Trade and CRS Helping Hands. National and regional conferences and trainings are held each year to bring chapters together and form a national community of students committed to advancing global justice, peace and human dignity.

What do CRS Student Ambassador chapters do?

Learn about global poverty and injustice in order to educate their peers.

Develop leadership skills in order to mobilize the campus community to respond to global emergencies and injustice.

Connect faith to action in order to cultivate global discipleship.

Tap into CRS’ work and resources in order to gain tools to transform campus and the world.

What are the core program dimensions?

Leadership

President and Vice President

Core team of trained and active student ambassadors

Institutional Support

A permanent faculty or staff advisor

Official club/organization OR sponsored by an office/department on campus

Social Media Links

CRS Ambassadors meet Cardinal Turkson

The Office for Mission and Ministry hosted Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice at Villanova on February 24 and 25. He spoke to members of the local inter-faith community, reviewed service learning projects with faculty and students in the College of Engineering, visited with inmates at Graterford SCI and delivered a public lecture. To read the text of his public lecture, click here.

Student Advocacy

Villanova's CRS Ambassadors joined with PESC, the Student Sustainability Network and others for a historic Campus Climate March in solidarity with the world's poor and vulnerable. They learned about the linkages between climate change and faith, food choice, and what you study. Ted Miles, CRS’ Representative to the Catholic Climate Covenant, spoke on “Climate Change, Theology, and International Development,” at the March.

Syrian refugee talks about his experiences at Villanova University Interfaith Vigil - By Linda Stein

Syrian refugee Said Ojjeh spoke at an Inferfaith Vigil ‘Season of Solidarity’ at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on December 2, 2015. Zaid Ojjeh is glad that he is in America and safe from the fate befalling many of his Syrian countrymen in their war ravaged homeland.However, the 28-year-old from Damascus is in a legal limbo awaiting his petition for asylum to be adjudicated. In that matter he has the help of students and recent graduates of Villanova Law School. more

Fair Trade

Buying into Fair Trade, Ambassadors had a three person panel consisting of a sociologist, economist and a Whole Foods manager on April 29th. The overall theme was to generate a discussion revolving around creating a culture of ethical consumption and business. You Tube video

Week of Solidarity with Syria's Refugees, Ambassadors invited the university community to an interfaith Vigil on Thursday, November 7, at 5:30 p.m. in St. Thomas of Villanova church for the purpose of expressing solidarity with Syria’s refugees. Donations were collected through Text to Give and events on campus.

About Villanova

Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.